Closure for containing vessels.



No. 682,995. Patent-msm. i7, Ism. y n. L.PATTERsoN.

GLDSUBE FOB GONTAINING VESSELS.

(Application filed June l1, 1901.) (No Model.)

vUNLHFED STATES APATENT OFFICE.

RUFUS L. PATTERSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLOSURE FOR CONTAINING VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,995, datedSeptember 1"?, 1901.

Application filed June 11,1901.

To all wwm/ t rudy concern:

Be it known that I, RUnUs L. PATTERSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, county of New York, and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements-in Olosu res,fullydescribedand represented in the following specification and the accompanyingdrawings, formingapart of the same.

This invention relates to ycertain improvements in closures forcontaining-receptacles.

One of the objects of the invention is to produce an improved closurefor containingreceptacles which embodies a fastening device adapted toengage beneath a shoulder on the containing-receptacle to secure theclosure in position, said fastening device being constructed to adjustitself to variations in the position of the shoulder on the container.

A further object of the invention is to produce an improved closure forcontaining-receptacles which embodies a fastening device arranged toenga-ge beneath a shoulder on the container, said fastening deviceembodying a non-resilient flexible leg or extension, which is in turnprovided with an engaging section that is forced into engagement withthe shoulder of the container by bending the leg or extension.

A further object of the invention is to produce a simple, cheap, andefficient closure for containing-receptacles,which may be readilyadjusted in position and easily opened.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in certainfeatures of construction, which will be hereinafter described and thenmore fully set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

Referring to thedrawings which form a part of this specification, and inwhich like characters of reference indicate the same parts, Figure 1represents a portion of a container having the improved closure inposition thereon, the container in the present instance being shown as abottle. Fig. 2 isa section on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is asection similar to Fig. 2, but showing the position of the parts beforethe fastening device has been positioned to lock the cap to the bottle.Fig. 4 is a plan View of the closure removed from the bottle. Fig. 5 isa Serial No. 64,5.l8. (No model.)

section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. Fig. I6 vis a sectional view of amodified form of cap, and Figs. 7 and 8 are sectional views illustratingmodified forms of the fastening device.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying sdrawings the closure which forms the subject of the ino vention has beenshown in connection with a bottle, although it is to be understood thatit may be applied to other forms of containing-receptacles.

In the drawings, l indicates the neck of a bottle, which is providedwith the usual closure-retaining shoulder 2. The closure comprises acover which in the construction shown is in the form of a cap 3. Where acap is employed, it will preferably be provided with adownwardly-extending iange 4. This cap may be formed with a plain top,as shown in Figs. l to 5, inclusive, or the top may have a depression,as indicated at 5 in Fig. 6. Preferably the cap will be provided with apacking 6, which may :till the entire top of the cap, as shown in Figs.l to 5, inclusive, or

when the cap has a depressed center this packing may be annular in form,as shown in Fig. 6.

The closure is provided with legs or extensions 7, which in thepreferred form of construction will be formed from non-resilientflexible material-that is, material which is capable of being bent intoa shape and which retains its shape after being bent, the term flexiblebeing used in a restricted sense and not being intended to covermaterial which is elastic. The flexible material employed willpreferably be sheet metal-such, for instance, as tin. In the preferredform of the construction, furthermore, a plurality of such legs orextensions will be used, although under some circumstances the closuremight have a single leg or extension. The leg or extension (or, where aplurality of Such legs or extensions are employed, each leg orextension) will be provided with an upwardlyextending section or partwhich is adapted to shorten as it is forced into engagement with theshoulder on the receptacle, and is therefore preferably flexible. In theconstruction shown this iiexible engaging part, which is marked 8, isformed by bending the material of each leg or extension npward,

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and in t-he preferred form of the construction this engaging sectionwill be spaced from the leg or extension 7. This engaging section orpart is preferably so arranged as to be forced into engagement with theshoulder on the container by bending the leg to which it is connectedinward, and in the preferred construction it will be arranged so that itmay shorten somewhat as it is forced into position in order tocompensate for variations in position of the shoulder on the container.The shortening of the engaging section may be obtained in some instancessolely through the flexibility of the section itself, or where thesection is spaced from the leg or extension to which it is connected theshortening action may occur at the curve or joint between the leg andthe engaging section, this point being marked 9, the metal being forceddownward at this point. Preferably, however, in addition to the curve atthe point 9 the engaging section will be provided with a curved engagingsurface l0, which takes under the shoulder of the container. As thefastening device is forced into place by bending the leg or extension,as before stated, a yielding action may occur either at the point 9 orat the curved surface 10, or at both these points.

Under some circumstances the curved engaging surface l0 may alone bedepended upon to permit the shortening action referred to, thisconstruction being illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8.

In order to provide for the ready unlocking of the fastening device, afingenhold is preferably employed. This finger-hold in the preferredform of the construction is formed by a continuation of the engagingsection before referred to, said continuation being bent outwardly,asshown in Figs. l to 6. The fingerhold may, however, be formed, asshown in Figs. 7 and 8, by bending out both the leg or extension and theengaging section, the finger-hold in these figures being marked 12.

The operation is as follows: The cap or other cover being placed inposition on the bottle or other container, each of the legs orextensions is forced inward. As the leg or extension moves inward theengaging surface l0 strikes the under side of thepshoulder and forcesthe cap or cover firmly against the mouth of the bottle, the actionbeing a sort of lever action, the engaging surface 10 forming thefulcrum of the lever. When the fastening device has reached the lockingposition, as shown in Fig. 2, the force developed in holding the cap inposition is exerted in a vertical direction or in a line which issubstantially parallel to the legs or extensions, so that there is notendency to draw these legs outward. Furthermore, as has been beforeindicated, should the shoulders on the bottles or other containers onwhich the closure is employed vary in position, and this is almostinvariably the case with glass containing vessels, the iiexible engagingsections will yield, as before described, thus permitting a ceases firmand at thesame time accurate action of the fastening device. Thefastening device may be readily unlocked by pressing upwardly andoutwardly against the fingerhold, this pressure operating to bend theflexible legs or extensions outward, as indicated in Fig. 3. Thisopening operation is a simple one, and the constructions in which theinvention will usually be embodied possess the great advantage that notool is required to unlock the fastening device, the necessary pressurebeing easily exerted by the fingers.

While two preferred forms of the construction have been illustrated, itis to be understood that the invention is not confined to theconstruction shown in these forms, as the invention may be embodied inother forms of construction.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isn

l. A closure comprising a cover having a non-resilient iiexible leg orextension provided with an upwardly-extending non-resilient flexiblesection arranged to engage a shoulder on the container and to be forcedinto engagement therewith by bending the leg, substantially asdescribed.

2. A closure comprising a cover having a non-resilient flexible leg orextension provided with an integral upwardly-extending nonresilientflexible section arranged to engage a shoulder on the container and tobe forced into engagement therewith by bending the leg, substantially asdescribed.

3. A closure comprising a cover having a leg or extension which isprovided with a ilexible non-resilient metal section which is adapted tobe forced beneath a shoulder on the outer surface of a receptacle andthe metal roll on itself as the section passes into engaging po sition,substantially as described.

4. A closure comprising a cover having a leg or extension which isprovided with an upwardly-extending non-resilient flexible sec; tionhaving a curved engaging surface, substantially as described.

5. A closure comprising a cover having a non-resilient flexible leg orextension which is provided with an upwardly-extending nonresilientfiexible section having a curved en'- gaging surface, substantially asdescribed.

6. A closure comprising a cover having a non-resilient flexible leg orextension which is provided with an integral upwardly-extending sectionhaving a curved engaging surface, substantially as described.

7. A closure comprising a cover having a non-resilient flexible leg orextension which is bent upon itself to form an upwardly-ex tendingsection, said section being spaced from the leg, `substantially asdescribed.

8. A closure comprising a cover having a non-resilient flexible leg orextension which is bent upon itself to form an upwardly-extendingsection, said section being spaced from the leg and having a curvedengaging surface, substantially as described.

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9. In a closure the combination with a cover of a fastening devicecomprising a leg or extension, an upwardly-extendin g non-resilientflexible section adapted to engage a shoulder on the container and abent portion forming a finger-hold, substantially as described.

10. In a closure the combination with a cover of a fastening devicecomprising a non-resilient flexible leg or extension, anupwardly-extending flexible section connected therewith, said sectionhaving a curved engaging surface and having connected thereto anoutwardly-bent portion forming a iinger-hold, substantially asdescribed.

11. A closure comprising a cover having a non-resilient flexible leg orextension, said leg or extension being bent upwardly to form an engagingsection and then downwardly and outwardly to form a iinger-hold,substantially as described. v

12. The combination with a container having a shoulder on the outersurface, of a cover having a pluralityof downwardly-extendingnon-resilient flexible legs or extensions, each of said extensions beingprovided with an upwardly-extending section arranged to be forced intoengagement with the shoulder on the container by bending the extensions,substantially as described.

13. The combination with a container having a shoulder on the outersurface, of a cover therefor, said cover havinga plurality ofdownwardly-extending non-resilient exible legs or extensions, each ofwhich is provided with an upwardly-extendingnon-resilient iiexibleengaging. sect-ion having a curved engaging surface, substantially asdescribed.

14. The combination with a container having a shoulder on its outersurface, of a cover having a plurality of non-resilient iiexible legs orextensions, each of said extensions being bent upon itself to form anupwardlyextending engaging section, said section being spaced from theextension, substantially as described.

15. The combination with a containerhaving a shoulder on its outersurface, of a cover having a plurality of non-resilient iiexible legs orextensions, each of said extensions being bent upon itself to form anupwardlyextending engaging section, said section being spaced from theextension and having a curved engaging surface, substantially asdescribed.

16. The combination withacontainer, having a shoulder, of a cover, afastening device comprising non-resilient flexible legs or extensions,each of said extensions being provided with an upwardly-engagingsection,and a finger-hold, substantially as described.

17. The combination with a containerhaving a shoulder, of a cover, afastening device comprising non-resilient Iiexible legs or extensions,each of said extensions being provided with an upwardlyengaging sectionhaving a curved engaging surface, and a nger-hold, substantially asdescribed.

18. A closure comprising a iianged cap havor extensions connected to theiange of the cap, each of said legs being bent to form an engagingsection and said section being bent to form an engaging surface,substantially as described. l

19. A closure comprisinga flanged cap having a plurality ofnon-resilient flexible legs or extensions, each of said extensions beingbent upon itself to form an engaging section, and each of said engagingsections being further bent to provide a curved engaging surface, andhaving a continuation which forms a finger-hold, the engaging sectionsbeing arranged to be forced into engagement with the shoulder of acontaining vessel by bending' the legs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

RUFUS L. PATTERSON. Witnesses:

NATHANIEL CARUsi, JAMES Q. RICE.

ing a plurality of non-resilient flexible legs`

